The 125-acre park at Cascade Springs can pack a lot into a short visit. Mapped by Higgins et al. (2003) as Wahoo Creek Formation, and close to both the Lithonia (aka Norcross) Gneiss and Ben Hill Granite, this park has interesting opportunities for not only geological study, but also for anthropologic, botanical, and ecological interests. A little further west, the urban boulder field of Boat Rock in the Ben Hill Granite may pique one’s interest in the unusual setting (if you’re there to study the beautiful crystalline granite) or test one’s physique (if you’re there attempting to climb above your skill level to impress your friends). Register at the link below for the March 22 AGS field trip examining these areas (an AGS-first!).

Registration: Participation Waiver

When: 10:00 to about 1:00, Sunday March 22

Where to meet: Cascade Springs Nature Preserve Parking Lot

What to bring: Lunch, water, outdoor wear, sunscreen, hand lens

Restrooms: No restrooms available, plan to stop before, between, and after locations as necessary

 Hiking notes:

• Hilly topography along the trails at Cascade Springs.
• Look out below! When exploring Boat Rock, be mindful of rock climbers.

As soon as everyone has parked, we will begin our hike from the parking lot along the nature trail. We will start by viewing and noting outcrops along Utoy Creek Trail, from which Bill Witherspoon and I collected samples for photomicrography. From there, we will continue to an area with granite boulders and contrast what we see in hand samples with differences that were revealed in thin section. Our next stop will be Cascade Falls, noting the change to a more metamorphic structure and again comparing hand samples to samples that Bill and I collected. We will conclude our time at Cascade Springs with lunch and then travel to Boat Rock Nature Preserve, a 20-minute drive west. If the weather is nice, we will certainly be sharing space at Boat Rock with several climbers. Here, you will find the remnants of an exposed ridge, which has been mostly eroded, leaving behind giant granite boulders of the Ben Hill Granite.